Automatic washplant for continuous washing of vehicles



Feb. 1968 G. WEIGELE ETAL 3,366,986

AUTOMATIC WASHPLANT FOR CONTINUOUS WASHING OF VEHICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 21, 1966 INVEN Tom GAP/MPO IM /6E1 JO/VM/A/ 3012559615? ala, Z MWW ATMZI/EVJ Feb. 6, 1968 G. WEIGELE ETAL 3,366,986

AUTOMATIC WASHPLANT FOR CONTINUOUS WASHING OF VEHICLES Filed April 21, 1966 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 IN V EN TORJ' United States Patent Ofifice 3,366,936 Patented Feb. 6, 1968 AUTOMATIC WASHPLANT FOR CONTINUOUS WASHING F VEHICLES Gebhard Weigele, Holzweg 75, Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany, and Johann Sulzberger, Mozartstr. 17, Steppach, near Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany Filed Apr. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 544,272

Claims priority, application Germany, Dec. 18, 1965,

8 Claims. (Cl. 21)

The present invention is concerned with improvements in or modifications of the invention which is the subject of our Patent No. 3,237,229, which is concerned with an automatic washing plant for the continuous washing of vehicles, in particular private cars, having rotary brushes mounted on pivoted arms and adapted to operate in stationary positions, one horizontally disposed brush being used for the cleaning of the upper side of the vehicle and two pairs of horizontally disposed brushes being arranged respectively on both sides and being mutually displaced in the direction of passage of the vehicles, the pivoted arms of these pairs' of brushes being mounted for pivotal movement about a common vertical axis, held in their rest position at an angle to each other of approximately 90 and flexibly interconnected by springs or the like. The present invention relates to a further development and improvement of this automatic washing plant and is intended in particular to effect an increase in the performance thereof by reducing the distance between the vehicles passing through the washing plant to a minimum.

According to the invention, each brush assembly which is rotatable about a vertical axis consists of at least three brushes, the pivoted arms of which are movable about a common vertical axis and are each flexibly interconnected with the adjacent pivoted arms of the same brush as sembly by springs or the like in such a manner that each brush assembly, in the rest position, forms a symmetrical rotating star, the pivoted arms of which enclose equal angles.

This arrangement makes it possible to pass the vehicles for washing directly one behind the other at a minimum distance apart through the washing plant so that the output of the washing plant can be increased to a substantial extent.

The invention and the details of it are explained in greater detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings which show diagrammatically an embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the automatic washing plant in the rest position.

FIGURE 2 is a corresponding plan view of the same plant in a particular operating position; and

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view of a brush assembly in the direction of the arrow III in FIGURE 2.

In the drawing, a vehicle is shown in broken lines at 1, which vehicle is being advanced by means of a suitable transport mechanism, e.g., an endless conveyor belt 2, continuously in the direction B through a washing plant. This washing plant consists of a horizontal washing brush 4, rotating about an axis 3, which extends over the whole width of the vehicle and is used for washing the whole of the upper side of the vehicle. This washing brush is mounted on a pivot arm 5 which is provided with a counterweight 6 in order to balance the weight. This pivot arm 5 is mounted for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis 8 on a stationary column 7. The brush 4 is driven by an electric motor 9 which is located on the pivot arm.

In order to wash the front side 10, the long sides 11 and 12 and the rear side 13 of the vehicle, two identical brush assemblies are provided, each having at least three vertical brushes, in the case of the embodiment shown four brushes 14 to 17 and 18 to 21. The pivot arms 22 carrying these brushes are rotatably arranged approximately on a common vertical axis, i.e., on the axis 23 or 24 of a vertical column 25 or 26, or alternatively according to the embodiment shown on a vertical axis 27 located close to the axis 23 and 24 as described in greater detail below. As is clear from the drawing, the neighbouring pivot arms 22 are flexibly connected each by a tension spring 28 or similar device in such a way that each brush assembly in the rest position shown in FIGURE 1 forms a symmetrical rotating star, the pivot arms of which enclose equal angles a. In the case of the embodiment shown with four brushes per assembly, this angle a is equal to This angle 06 would accordingly be in the case of an assembly consisting only of three brushes and 72 in the case of an assembly consisting of 5 brushes.

The method of operation of this washing plant is as follows:

As the vehicle 1 advances in the direction of the arrow B (FIGURE 1), its front 10 first comes into engagement with the brush 14 and thus the pivot arm 22 of this brush rotates in the direction of the arrow C, so that this brush 14 moves in the direction D along the front of the vehicle 10 and thus washes it. As a result of the brush 14 being swung around in the direction C, the brush 15 is pressed in the direction E against the long side of the vehicle under the tension of the spring 28 which connects the pivot arm of this brush with the pivot arm of the brush 15', so that, during further movement of the vehicle in direction B, the long side 12 is washed by this brush. In the case of Washing of the vehicle 1, only the brushes 14 and 15 of the first brush assembly come into action, whereas brushes 16 and 17 are not operative so that no drive is necessary for them.

As soon as the front 10 of the vehicle 1 reaches the brush 13, the washing procedure already described is carried out on the other side of the vehicle with the brushes 18 and 19, namely the washing of half the front side 10 with the brush 18 and the washing of the long side 11 with the brush 19. In this case, as shown in FIG- URE 2, both brushes 19 and 18 wash the long side 11 of the vehicle simultaneously. In this operating position of the brushes 18 and 19 of the second brush assembly, the brushes 14 and 15 of the first brush assembly have almost completed their task, the brush 15 having already washed half the rear side 13 of the vehicle. During the further advance of the vehicle 1 in the direction B, the brush 19 of the second assembly finally washes the other half rear side 13 of the vehicle.

It is apparent from FIGURE 2 that, when the first brush assembly is in the operating position shown, the washing of the immediately following vehicle 29 can already be -undertaken. The distance a of this vehicle from the preceding vehicle 1 can in this case be very small. Since these washing brushes consist as a rule of nylon bristles which are secured to a cylindrical core with a diameter of approximately mm, the distance between the two vehicles can be reduced almost to this core diameter of approximately 130 mm., as indicated at a without any damage occurring and without any resulting adverse effect on the washing procedure. So long as the vehicles are separated by only a very small distance such as A as shown in broken lines, a simultaneous washing of the rear side 13 of the vehicle 1 and the front side 10 of the next vehicle 29 is eliected in this case with the brush 15.

For the washing of the vehicle 29, the brushes 15 and 16 of the first brush assembly and the brushes 19 and 20 of the second brush assembly are then used in the manher already described. There are thus always two brushes of each assembly in operation for the washing of a vehicle, so that by rotating the star-shaped brush assemblies towards each other all the brushes are brought into oper ation.

If necessary, stops 30 can be provided on the pivot arm as shown in FIGURE 2, which, when the springs 28 are detensioned, prevent the brushes which are not then required (in FIGURE 2 the brushes 20 and 21) from coming into contact with each other or with the other brushes (18 and 19). The brushes have the direction of rotation indicated in FIGURES 1 and 2 by arrows R and L, i.e., the brushes of the first assembly rotate in a clockwise direction and the brushes of the second assembly in an anti-clockwise direction. These directions of rotation are advantageous and necessary so that the brushes washing the front side of the vehicle can roll over forwardly projecting parts thereof and over projecting bumpers. It is however advantageous subsequently to alter this direction of rotation. For this purpose, each washing brush drive is made reversible and a control device is provided which reverses the direction of rotation of each brush as soon as it has passed from the front of the vehicle to a long side. If for example the brush 18 initially rotating in the direction L has Washed half the front side of the vehicle 1, this direction of rotation is reversed into the opposite direction R as shown in FIGURE 2 as soon as this brush reaches the long side 11 of the vehicle. According to FIGURE 2 these two brushes 18 and 19 which are in operation have opposite directions of rotation. This has the advantage that the sides of the vehicle are cleaned better and more completely than if the two brushes had the same direction of rotation.

For each brush assembly it is advantageous to provide a fixed hollow supporting column 25 and 26 in the interior of which are housed the electric conductors and water supply pipes coming up from the ground. On the upper end of each supporting column is provided a base or casing 31 which is rotatably mounted on the latter and carries the pivot arm 22. This latter is pivotally mounted round the circumference of the casing 31 on the axis 27. A bearing head 32 is furthermore fixedly connected to this casing 31 and is supported on the column 26 and acts as a distributor head for electric current and water. On the pivot arms 22 are arranged switch boxes 33 for control purposes, which are connected on the one hand by the leads 34 with the bearing head 32 and on the other hand by the leads 35 with the motors 36 which drive the vertical brushes 18, 19, etc. Water and washing fluid are sprayed onto each brush by a spray tube 37 as shown in FIGURE 3. This spray tube is connected with the distributor head 32.

As is clear from FIGURE 3, the vertical brushes are mounted in suspended fashion from the pivot arms 22 in a bearing component 38, in which case it is advantageous for the brushes in question or this bearing component to be mounted in a freely pivotable fashion on the pivot arms on a horizontal axis 39 which is perpendicular to the latter. As a result, as shown by the chain-dotted line 18' in FIGURE 3, each brush can pivot radially outwards. This pendulum movement or outward displacement occurs when the brushes come up against a protruding obstruction, e.g., the projecting ends of the bumper. In this was, the movement of the brushes over such obstruction is facilitated and in addition any damage to the brush mounting is avoided.

The invention is not restricted to the embodiment shown. As stated above, brush assemblies can also be provided each having three or five brushes arranged in star formation. Brush assemblies with four or five brushes are, however, most advantageous.

Furthermore, the neighbouring pivot arms can be inter- I connected not only by springs, but alternatively if required by pneumatic or hydraulic force-exerting means in order to obtain the action described above, i.e., the simultaneous pressing in each case of two brushes of an assembly with uniform pressure against the vehicle.

What is claimed is:

1. In an automatic washing plant for the continuous washing of vehicles, a brush assembly comprising:

at least three vertical rotary brushes;

arms mounting said brushes respectively thereon and mounted for revolution about a common vertical axis;

means for mounting each of said arms for pivotal movement in a horizontal plane individually with respect to each other; and

resilient means flexibly interconnecting each of said arms with the adjacent pivoted arms of the same brush assembly in such a manner that the brush assembly, in the rest position, forms a symmetrical rotating star, the pivoted arms of which enclose equal angles.

2. The brush assembly defined in claim 1, in which said resilient means are springs.

3. The brush assembly defined in claim 1, in which the vertical brushes are mounted in suspended fashion with the upper ends of their axles on the pivoted arms.

4. The brush assembly defined in claim 2, in which the brushes are pivotally mounted on the pivoted arms for movement about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the arms.

5. The brush assembly defined in claim 1 including a hollow supporting column with an internally arranged electric current and water supply, a casing located at the upper end of said column and rotatably mounted on it, said brush-carrying pivoted arms being pivotally mounted on the circumference of the casing, and a bearing head rigidly fixed to said casing which is supported on the column and serves as a distributor head for electric current and water.

6. The brush assembly defined in claim 1, in which each brush is provided with reversible driving means having a control device adapted to reverse the direction of rotation of each brush as soon as the latter has passed from the front side of a vehicle advancing through the washing plant to a long side of said vehicle.

7. An automatic Washing plant of the type described in claim 1 including at least one horizontal rotary brush mounted on pivoted arm means for cleaning the upper side of the vehicle and two of said brush assemblies mutually displaced in the direction of movement of said vehicles.

8. The brush assembly defined in claim 1, including a base and means supporting said base for rotation about said common vertical axis, said arms being individually mounted on said base for pivotal movement with respect to said base about vertical pivot axes, whereby said arms can revolve about said common vertical axis and can pivot with respect to said base about said vertical pivot axes.

No references cited.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

EDWARD L. ROBERTS, Examiner. 

1. IN AN AUTOMATIC WASHING PLANT FOR THE CONTINUOUS WASHING OF VEHICLES, A BRUSH ASSEMBLY COMPRISING: AT LEAST THREE VERTICAL ROTARY BRUSHES; ARMS MOUNTING SAID BRUSHES RESPECTIVELY THEREON AND MOUNTED FOR REVOLUTION ABOUT A COMMON VERTICAL AXIS; MEANS FOR MOUNTING EACH OF SAID ARMS FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE INDIVIDUALLY WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER; AND RESILIENT MEANS FLEXIBLY INTERCONNECTING EACH OF SAID ARMS WITH THE ADJACENT PIVOTED ARMS OF THE SAME BRUSH ASSEMBLY IN SUCH A MANNER THAT THE BRUSH ASSEMBLY, IN THE REST POSITION, FORMS A SYMMETRICAL ROTATING STAR, THE PIVOTED ARMS OF WHICH ENCLOSE EQUAL ANGLES. 